Orange
by MoonSamurai
Summary: The flower drifts out into the sea. Legend blinks, and more tears fall. After a second blink, the flower is gone. Was it just a trick? A hallucination? Just a dream?


Alright, it's been a LONG while since I've seen this series, but here, let's try again.

Link's Awakening, y'all! (I wish I could get it, but I'll settle for an emulator, even if it's choppy and broken as heck)

Samurai (or Moon, as a lot of people call me) doesn't own anything! What a surprise!

* * *

Legend hates shifting.

It leaves behind a dull ache that's everywhere, and he just doesn't know where to pinpoint it.

Not like he can.

He sees nothing, just pure darkness. Comforting, really.

Then he realizes that his eyes are closed.

He feels numb as his eyes slowly open. His vision flashes for a moment before fading into puffs of white swimming across a sea of blue.

The sky.

He's vaguely aware of the sun beating down on him, the faint roar of crashing waves...

He sits up.

His vision tilts, and he sees the shoreline. Little walls of water charge on to the shore, and then recede, going back to whence they came.

It's suffocatingly numb.

For a few minutes, all he does is watch the sea swallowing bouts of sand and spitting it back out. He's clenching and unclenching his hand, grabbing handfuls of sand and squeezing hard.

His eyes scan the the area and notices he's alone.

...and his heart almost stops.

In front of him is a sword, lying on the ground. It's covered in sand and it's probably wet, but it's unmistakable- it's his.

His breath halts as he stands up, uncaring of the sand and walks towards the blade. He grasps the hilt hesitantly, as if he'll wash up on shore, as if he'll have to say goodbye again-

Suddenly, he's sitting on a log by the shore, next to the dream girl and staring at the horizon.

_"If I was a seagull, I would fly as far as I could! I would fly to far away places and sing for many people!"_

_"...If I wish to the Wind Fish, I wonder if my dream will come true..."_

Legend drops his sword with a choked sob stuck in his throat. A panicked scream builds up within, but he doesn't know what to do. His voice catches and he can't say anything.

He stands there, frozen for a few moments- mouth open in a scream no one will ever hear.

_"Hey, that's a nice ocarina you have there! Will you accompany me as I sing?"_

_"Remember this song... and me..."_

There's a hand on his shoulder.

He spins around and is met face-to-face with Time.

The elder smiles gently, his right hand grasping Legend's own gently.

They don't say anything for a moment- they just stare at each other.

Legend pulls away after a second.

He turns away, opting to watch the ocean. He can't let Time to see him like this.

He can't.

He lifts his gaze to the sky, trying to stop the tears when he sees them.

Seagulls.

They're cawing and flying away, but one, _one_, flies down and lands on his head. It caws softly, pecking lightly at Legend's hair.

There's a hibiscus flower in its mouth.

Maybe it's fate, maybe it's just a coincidence, but it's there.

It's there.

Legend opens his palm, and the flower falls, drifting _oh-so-gently like her voice_ into his hand.

Drops of clear liquid fall appear on the petals, and with a start, Legend realizes that they're tears.

It's a like a trigger- maybe that explains what happens next.

He rips his eyes away from the plant and throws his gaze upwards. His mouth opens to scream.

A bloodcurdling _shriek_ emits from his mouth. He pours all of his heartbreak, anger, regrets, and sadness into one shout into the skies. The seagulls take off.

The one on his head squawks in surprise, flying up and circling Legend in worry before beating its wings twice and sailing into the air with a final glance.

Legend watches the bird go, salty tears dripping down his face. The hibiscus is in his hand, stem slowly being crushed in Legend's hand.

Sniffling, his grip slackens, and the flower falls on to the sand. His eyes are wide as his gaze falls to the ground, where the hibiscus flower had landed.

A wave of ocean water comes in, grabbing the flower along with some sand. As the plant gets dragged away into the waves, Legend stares. He's completely still, but he watches.

The flower drifts out into the sea. Legend blinks, and more tears fall. After a second blink, the flower is gone.

Was it just a trick? A hallucination?

Just a dream?

A strangled sob makes its way out of Legend's mouth as he sinks to his knees. There was no way.

No way that flower was from-

He's pulled into a hug. His head rests against Time's chest as he tries to take in shuddering breaths.

The elder rubs soothing circles into Legend's back quietly.

"It'll be okay."

Time mutters this repeatedly, knowing that it would never be okay for them.

Ever.

He hates this. He doesn't want to lie. He shouldn't lie to one of his own.

He stays quiet.

For a while, they stay like that- Legend in Time's arms, sobbing into the elder's chest.

When Legend finally manages to calm himself down, he tries to push away, **_'I don't need help-'_**

Time pulls Legend closer and keeps whispering soothing nothings to the distraught boy. His lone, narrowed eye glares at the ground in contempt.

He curses the goddesses silently. Hadn't they suffered enough?

Hadn't they?

A few minutes pass, and Legend pulls back, looking up at Time with muddy eyes shining with unshed tears.

"I'm sorry," he chokes out, exhaling briefly.

Time shakes his head, his eye crinkling slightly.

"Nothing's your fault."

Legend is quiet, turning away and watching the waves. He opens his mouth to say something, to say _anything,_ but his words are stuck in his throat and he can't get them out.

Goddesses _above_, he's panicking badly and he can't speak-

"Take your time."

For a few seconds, it's silent except for Legend's panicked breathing.

Inoutinoutinoutinout in out in out, in, out, in...

It's finally slowing. The world isn't spinning, it's staring to make a little more sense. Legend's really glad for that.

"I... don't... I don't know," he says quietly, slowly, like a child's first words. He's deliberately pronouncing each word like it's new to him.

"Legend, come here," Time replies, patting the the sand next to him. Hearing Time's gentle tone, the younger man crawls on over next to the elder, plopping down.

"You're not at fault here," he begins, a sad smile on his face. "None of this is your fault."

"It's the goddesses."

Legend almost doesn't catch it. He has to strain his ears, but he hears every single word.

Time releases a breath and shakes his head.

The two of them are quiet for a moment. Slowly, Legend lifts his gaze up to the ocean and sees something.

A dark mound in the distance. It's pointed at the top and, maybe it's his eyes deceiving him, but he sees a tiny, egg shaped shadow at the top-

He blinks and shakes his head hurriedly. That can't be-

He looks again and it's gone.

Just the trick of the light.

Just a hallucination.

It couldn't have been _it._

_Just wishful thinking._

"Time! Legend!"

Twilight's voice is coming up behind them. There's footsteps pounding on the ground as Twilight runs up.

"You guys okay? You two got separated from the rest of us," he explained, panting slightly.

"Ah, that explains a bit," Time starts, getting up with his protege's help.

Then the young man's hand extends toward Legend.

"No, go ahead without me," Legend manages, gulping in salty air. "I'll catch up."

Twilight's face morphs into a skeptical look but he nods anyways, throwing his head lightly to the right.

"Take your time."

Time's eye barely flicks to Twilight before he starts to walk away.

"See you later," Twilight calls over his shoulder before jogging after the elder.

Legend's quiet as he turns to the sea.

The roaring waves, the seagulls, the warm, salty breeze...

The mound is back. The shadows of a dream is in the distance.

That familiar tune plays in his head again.

Legend stands up and blinks. It's gone again. A figment of his imagination, a final wish...

Did the flower go back to the paradise? The island of dreams... and is she waiting for him to respond?

He shakes his head and sweeps those thoughts to the side. He can worry about it later.

With one last glance into the distance, into the empty line where the sky and the sea meet...

He turns away and starts following the footsteps left by Time and Twilight.

He doesn't look back.

* * *

HOO BOY THAT. THAT WAS A DOOZY. Only 1.5k words though... sad life

It's 1:30 AM as I do this XD Like none of it will make sense anymore when I wake up... so much editing to do~

So _massive shoutout to Eclipse for letting me throw a few ideas at her!_

Oh right, and for this one? Orange is the color of warmth (praise the sun) but in this context, it symbolizes loneliness, distrust, and deceit.

And did anyone get that reference near the end? :3

I really hope I can get another part up soon... XD

Anyways, thanks for reading, and stay awesome y'all! 'Til next time!


End file.
